Seeing how aggressive Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo were, Belle, controlling Eous, instinctively took a step back.
"Calm down. It's not what you think."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Bad Bangboo, you're a traitor)..."
"..."
Belle was speechless. Since when had she become a Bangboo traitor?
She had no idea how to deal with the two of them.
But Nicole had no patience for nonsense. She stepped forward and kicked Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo to the ground, then started searching them without hesitation.
"Billy, Nekomata, Anby—get over here and help! Strip them of every last Denny and gear coin!"
"Coming, Boss Nicole!"
"Wait, that's weird. They don't have a single Denny on them. What's going on?"
They searched both Bangboos thoroughly, but couldn't find anything—not even a single Denny, let alone gold.
Then Nekomata suddenly pointed out, "There's a zipper here. The gear coins and Dennies must be hidden inside."
As she spoke, she reached to unzip Golden Bangboo's chest.
Golden Bangboo cried out, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Let us go and we'll give you lots of money)..."
Platinum Bangboo quickly added, "Mm-hmm-da, mm-hmm-da (Just spare us, and we'll hand over the Dennies)..."
Nekomata ignored their pleas.
She tugged at the zipper but found it wouldn't open. Only then did she seriously suggest, "Nicole, maybe we should accept their offer. We came here for their Dennies anyway..."
Now that it was confirmed the two weren't made of actual gold or platinum, there wasn't much point in dragging them back.
Might as well make a quick profit off their Dennies.
And if they ran into these two again later, they might get another haul. Sounded like a win-win.
Nicole paused in thought, then looked at Sam Li and Caesar. "What do you think?"
Sam Li nodded. "I agree with Nekomata's plan."
Caesar laughed. "Then let's see how much they're willing to cough up..."
With everyone in agreement, Golden Bangboo quickly offered, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Untie me and I'll give you gear coins)..."
Platinum Bangboo chimed in, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Untie me and I'll give you Dennies)..."
Just like the rumors said.
Once captured, Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo would hand over a trove of gear coins and Dennies in exchange for being spared.
...
Nicole quickly shut the door tight to prevent any escape.
Then she untied them.
She couldn't wait. "Don't even think about running. Start handing over all your gear coins and Dennies."
Golden Bangboo: "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (Step back a little)..."
Everyone took a step back.
Golden Bangboo unzipped his chest—like opening a giant piggy bank—and gear coins began pouring out in a flood.
In no time, the floor was covered.
There had to be at least a million gear coins.
Nicole was stunned.
Gear coins were even more valuable than Dennies. One gear coin could be traded for four or five Dennies.
Which meant...
Just this pile was worth at least seven or eight million Dennies.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm (This is all I can give you)..."
"That's more than enough. We at the Hare's House aren't villains—we're not here to bleed you dry."
Nicole, while fond of money, wasn't insatiable.
She quickly called over Billy and Anby to bring the suitcase and start packing up the coins.
But then—
Golden Bangboo suddenly threw himself onto the pile. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Wait! Some of these gear coins can't be given away)..."
He began frantically sorting through the pile, pulling out several unusual gear coins.
Each one was covered in tiny digits, the kind no one would accept even in New Eridu.
Golden Bangboo said seriously, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (These coins are important. I can't give them to you)..."
Nicole, surprisingly generous this time, waved it off. "Fine, take them. Consider it a gift from me."
Anby: "..."
Nekomata: "..."
Belle, controlling Eous, looked thoughtful. "Weird... they're all covered in numbers, like they're recording something..."
Typical of Phaethon. Just one glance and she'd noticed something unusual.
Still, Belle couldn't tell what kind of data those numbers represented. Maybe it was related to the Hollows... or maybe someone in particular.
She asked curiously, "Golden Bangboo, what do these gear coins record?"
Golden Bangboo shook his head. "Mm-hmm (I forgot)..."
Belle asked again, "You just said these special gear coins are important. Why? What do you need them for?"
Golden Bangboo shook his head again. "Mm-hmm (I forgot)..."
After so many years in Hollow Zero...
Both Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo had been affected by Ether erosion. Their internal modules had mutated, making them different from ordinary Bangboos.
For instance, they didn't need charging. They could directly absorb Ether from the Hollows.
They were faster, sharper—and could sense nearby gear coins and Dennies.
Their bodies hadn't originally been gold or white. But after storing so many coins for so long, they'd changed color.
Their memory modules had degraded. They'd long forgotten why they were collecting gear coins and Dennies.
All they remembered was a command from their master—to collect Dennies in the Hollows, especially those with numbers engraved on them.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (We still remember—if we gather enough numbered gear coins and Dennies, our master will come back)..."
They didn't know who their master was.
But it was obvious—whoever it was had disappeared or died inside the Hollows.
Nicole chuckled. "Don't stress over those weird coins. They're so worn down, no one in the city would take them anyway..."
Then she turned to Platinum Bangboo. "Your turn. Hand over your Dennies."
Though clearly unwilling, Platinum Bangboo chose to give in. "Mm-hmm-da (Step back a bit)..."
Just like Golden Bangboo, he unzipped his chest—and Dennies came spilling out like a toppled coin jar.
They flooded the floor, even more than the gear coins before.
Though all of them were small denominations...
Nicole only had to glance at them to know—they were looking at tens of millions in Dennies.